Patrick Hamilton

The brilliantly tense play that became Hitchcock's masterpiece, starring James Stewart. Believing themselves to be intellectually superior to their contemporaries, flatmates Brandon and Philip murder their friend David Kentley purely to see if they can get away with it. They then throw a cocktail party, serving food from the top of the trunk where they have hidden David's body. Their guests include both David's father and fiancée, as well as college lecturer Rupert Cadell, who becomes increasingly suspicious as the evening wears on.